by Bell, Cindy
“He seems to think that tonight is a big deal,” Vicky explained hesitantly. “You know officially meeting the family.”
“Isn't it?” Sarah asked as she tasted the sauce she was simmering. “Mm, here,” she held out the wooden spoon for Vicky to try. Vicky had a taste and sighed with pleasure.
“Perfect, as usual,” she mumbled.
“Thanks,” Sarah laughed as she studied her sister. “Come on, out with it, what's really bothering you?”
“Well, why can't things just be good as they are?” Vicky asked with a frown. “Why do they always have to progress, and get messy?”
“They're supposed to progress because people have feelings, and those feelings grow stronger with time,” Sarah explained patiently as if Vicky was asking a simple and obvious question. “It's so wonderful you don't even notice that it's messy.”
Vicky shivered a little. “I guess it's just not my style,” she frowned. “I just don't want Mitchell to get hurt because we have different ideas of what we want.”
“Hmm,” Sarah nodded a little. “Or maybe you're just afraid, that things are progressing whether you like it or not.”
Vicky started to open her mouth to argue with her sister, when there was a knock on the front door.
“That must be Mitchell,” Vicky said with relief. She was glad to avoid the unfolding conversation. Vicky stepped away from the kitchen to answer the door, but Sarah's words stayed in her mind. When Vicky opened the door an irresistible smile of excitement rose to her lips.
“Look who I found,” Mitchell said, his fierce blue eyes shining as he smiled at her. Aunt Ida was snuggled up next to him, her arm tucked through his and a wide grin splayed across her full lips.
“I swear officer, I didn't do it,” she lifted one set of long fingers to cover her mouth as she giggled. “Oh please, who's going to buy that?” she laughed out loud.
“Aunt Ida,” Vicky said with a playful grin. “Come on in,” she stepped back and held the door open for Mitchell and Ida to step through. Aunt Ida reluctantly relinquished his arm so that Vicky could embrace him. When his lips sought hers, she pulled back slightly. He met her gaze questioningly, but that question was answered when Ethan popped his head up between the two of them.
“Are you Aunt Vicky's boooooyfriend?” he asked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes that were the same bright green as his aunt’s.
“Uh well,” Mitchell cleared his throat and then dropped down to the boy's eye level, a move that impressed Vicky.
“I don't know, what would you think if I was?” he asked curiously. Sarah had stepped into the living room to observe, and was whispering to Aunt Ida about how sweet Mitchell was.
“Hmm,” Ethan narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized the man before him with all of the seriousness of a grown man. “You don't seem like the last guy on earth,” he concluded.
“What?” Mitchell asked with confusion and glanced up at Vicky for help. Vicky's eyes widened some as she tried to anticipate what he was going to say next. She had to remember the kid liked to repeat things, this was something she could never seem to grasp.
“Well, Aunt Vicky said that she would only get married if there was only one man left on earth,” Ethan declared happily. “So, I guess you're not her boyfriend,” he shrugged and seemed to be satisfied by his own deduction.
“Oh, Ethan,” Sarah gasped and grabbed her son gently by the arm to tug him away from Mitchell who had glanced up with curiosity at Vicky. Vicky could only stare down at him uncertain as to whether she should defend herself.
“Kids,” Aunt Ida volunteered as she noticed her niece squirming. “They say the strangest things,” she laughed lightly and Sarah soon joined in, hoping to break the mild tension that had formed.
“Yes, they do,” Mitchell laughed as he stood back up and slid his arm around Vicky's waist. “Sarah, these are for you,” he added as he held out a small bouquet of flowers.
“Oh, thank you so much,” Sarah gushed as she took the flowers and carried them into the kitchen to put them in water. When Mitchell glanced over at Vicky, he couldn't hide his smile of amusement
“Last man on earth, hmm?” he murmured beside her ear.
“Well,” Vicky hesitated. Her opinion hadn't really changed that much. As lovely a marriage as Sarah and Phil had, she considered herself to have her Aunt Ida's spirit, free and wandering.
“I'm just kidding,” he assured her and kissed her cheek softly. As they gathered around the kitchen table Sarah finished preparing their meal with the assistance of Ethan.
“Sorry guys it looks like Phil is running a little late,” she sighed as she slid the ravioli onto a serving dish. “He's been busy lately, sometimes it's like we're passing ships rather than husband and wife,” she laughed, but Vicky could sense the sadness in Sarah's voice. Phil had taken on some extra hours since the inn had not been producing as much income as it usually did. Aunt Ida was toying with her cell phone, she even turned it upside down once and shook it.
“What are you doing?” Vicky laughed as she watched her aunt getting more and more aggravated by the device.
“How do you get the texts out of these things?” she asked, obviously stumped by the tiny buttons on the phone. She was very intelligent, but she didn't handle technology too well.
“Here,” Vicky took the phone from her and showed her the steps to access her text messages. “It's pretty simple,” she said and then frowned as she hit the wrong button. “Well, I guess it could be simpler,” she laughed a little and handed the phone back.
“Thanks sweetie,” Aunt Ida said with a sigh of relief. She began scrolling through all of the messages that she had missed.
“Yes!” Aunt Ida shrieked with joy. “Yes! Yes! She can fit me in!”
“Who?” Sarah laughed as she added the French bread to the table and glanced towards the door once more.
“There's no time to waste,” Aunt Ida announced as she stood up from the table. “I have an emergency appointment to get my hair done,” she said and ran her fingertips through the short strands with a slight frown. “It's such a mess right now and luckily Sandra’s new hairdresser has time to do it.”
“You haven't even eaten,” Vicky protested with a frown.
“Sweetheart, beauty waits for no one,” Aunt Ida announced dramatically.
“Your hair looks wonderful,” Sarah said with a sigh as she studied her aunt. “Everything about you always looks wonderful,” she added as she tugged a stray feather out of her own hair. “I’ve been working on some costumes for Ethan and Rory, and I can’t yet figure out how I have more feathers on me than on the parrot costumes,” she laughed.
“I don't know how you ever have the time to do all of that,” Vicky said as she plucked the feather from Sarah's hand. Just then the front door swung open and Phil called out from the living room.
“Never fear, Phil is here!” Phil walked up to the table to join them with a wide grin. “Sorry I'm late,” he added as he leaned over to kiss Sarah gently on the lips.
“Ew,” Ethan complained and covered his eyes. Rory just wiggled out of his chair and hid under the table.
“It's a team effort,” Sarah said with a sweet smile at her husband. Vicky glanced over at Mitchell who seemed to be enjoying the banter between family members. Vicky loved her single life. She liked the idea of being free to wander as she pleased, but she still wondered sometimes if that would ever change. Sarah seemed to have everything, not only a normally successful business like Vicky but also an amazing husband and two beautiful children. The more Vicky got to know Mitchell, the more certain she was that if she were to ever have that life, she wanted it to be with him, but getting to that point at the moment seemed impossible. She just wasn't sure it was what she wanted. Was it fair to him to make him wait while she figured it out?
“Well, my hairstyle will hardly do for the guests we will have this weekend,” Ida declared dramatically. “So, I really must be going.”
She winked at Mitchell
and leaned down to give him a peck on the cheek.
“When you see me again, I'll be twenty years younger,” Aunt Ida said jokingly and kissed Phil on the cheek as well. Phil grinned at her with clear amusement as she spun on her heel.
“I don't see how you could get any more beautiful Aunt Ida, but if you insist,” he said with the boyish charm that Sarah loved so much.
“Aw,” Vicky giggled a little and Mitchell reached under the table to grab her hand, his gesture hidden by the tablecloth.
“Easy to see that such beauty runs in the family,” he said mildly. His words were a bit of a surprise to Vicky as he could be a bit shy and wasn't usually one to attempt to be so charming. But, from the flushed cheeks of all three women, it seemed he had succeeded. “So tell me more about these special guests?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes, let’s hear it,” Phil said as he dropped down into a chair beside Sarah and reached across the table to ruffle Ethan's hair. Phil peeked under the table, “Rory, get out here,” he said with a grin. Rory climbed back up into his chair but only sat in it for a second before he bolted over to his father for a big hug.
“Well, it's all very hush, hush,” Sarah warned as she looked from Phil to Mitchell. Then she lowered her voice and grinned wildly. “But Seth and Trinie have decided to get married at the inn! Our inn!”
“Wow!” Phil said with surprise and sat back in his chair. “The actress Trinie?” he smiled with amazement. “We've seen plenty of wealthy people at the inn, but this is our first real super star. Just think of the publicity from that!”
“Not to mention Seth,” Mitchell piped up and shook his head. “If only I could play tennis like that guy I might actually be able to beat the sheriff in one of our matches,” he chuckled as he lowered his eyes with defeat. “That man has a mean swing.”
“Oh well, Vicky is very good at tennis,” Sarah said quickly as she added another piece of bread to Ethan's plate. He was not interested in the ravioli but he was enjoying the bread. “You should let her teach you sometime on the court at the inn,” Sarah added as she met Vicky's eyes across the table. Vicky locked eyes with her sister and tried not to glare.
“I didn't know you could play tennis,” Mitchell said with surprise as he looked at her. “I'd like that, if you would teach me sometime,” he looked at her eagerly.
“I'm not that great,” Vicky said humbly and shot a scowl at her sister before she looked at Mitchell. “But if it means taking down the sheriff, I'm all for it.”
Mitchell laughed and took a sip of his wine. “All right then,” he agreed. “Maybe after the big wedding is over.”
“Vicky is in charge of the whole thing,” Sarah bragged openly. “From the cake, to the music, the dresses, everything!” Vicky felt a bit like she was being marketed, and though she knew her sister was doing it out of love it was beginning to annoy her.
“Do you think she can...” Phil started to ask, and Sarah swatted his shoulder to quiet him down. He cleared his throat as he realized his mistake. Vicky frowned as she looked down at her plate.
“She'll do fantastic,” Mitchell said with confidence and gave her hand another squeeze under the table. “But if you need me for any reason, guests gone wild, or homicidal doves, feel free to call me, okay?” he met her eyes to make sure she understood he meant it.
“Yes,” she nodded slightly, and grinned at the idea of doves attacking. “I'll keep you on speed dial,” she assured him.
“I still can't believe it's really happening,” Sarah admitted. “I remember watching Trinie when I was a kid on that Complete Teen show.”
“Me too,” Vicky grinned and the two sisters spoke at the same time. “Don't look in a magazine, get up to date with Complete Teen!”
Phil and Mitchell exchanged slightly horrified glances as the two women dissolved into giggles.
“I remember Trinie from when she was a little bit older,” Phil said casually. “That movie, about the fountain.”
“Oh really,” Sarah cleared her throat and smiled at him. “What part do you remember?”
“Well uh, the fountain,” he replied with a light smile.
“Mmhm, what was the movie about Phil?” she asked, teasing him.
“Something about a fountain, all I know is she ended up splashing in it!”
“Oh, that was her?” Mitchell said with surprise. “I didn't realize that!”
“You two are terrible,” Vicky laughed. “Don't forget about Seth. I've never seen a man look so good in tennis whites,” she winked at Sarah.
“Oh, but we haven't played tennis yet,” Mitchell pointed out with a sly smile.
“Good point,” Vicky laughed and finally began to relax as they shared their meal.
“So, what am I in for?” she asked Sarah. “Swans? Tigers? A parade?”
“No nothing like that,” Sarah shook her head. “She did ask for pink roses, and she likes the idea of silver and white for the color scheme. Oh and musicians, she wants live music.”
“Well, that's not too bad,” Vicky said with surprise. “It sounds pretty simple.”
“The place is going to be crawling with security,” Sarah sighed. “It's almost impossible to keep something like this secret, so we're going to have to plan for lots of press showing up and trying to disrupt the ceremony.”
“Well, if you'd like I can check with Sheriff McDonnell and see if we can spare a few officers to help with security,” Mitchell suggested, gaining him a smile of relief from Sarah.
“That would be great. It would be wonderful if we had a few local officers to rely on.”
“Absolutely,” Mitchell nodded and finished off his wine. “I'll ask him first thing in the morning,” he paused a moment before continuing. “Speaking of which, I should probably get going. I have the early shift tomorrow.”
“I'll walk you out,” Vicky offered and stood up from the table with him. “I better get going, too.” She hugged Ethan and Rory and gave Phil and Sarah a kiss on the cheek goodbye. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Thanks for joining us Mitchell,” Phil called out and reached out to shake his hand. Mitchell gave it a quick shake and then nodded at Sarah.
“Thanks so much for dinner and the company ma'am, everything was delicious.”
“Ma'am,” Sarah giggled and waved her hand at him. “Any time, any friend of Vicky's is a friend of ours,” she added with a small smile.
“True,” Phil nodded.
“Are you sure you're not the last man on earth?” Ethan asked and reached for another slice of French bread.
“Ethan,” Sarah hissed.
Vicky was laughing as she walked out onto the driveway with her arm locked in Mitchell's. As soon as they were outside he pulled her closer against him. Tentatively he touched his lips to hers, requesting a kiss, which she willingly offered. The caress was sweet and subtle. The time between their encounters seemed to make these expressions of their affection that much more passionate, and Vicky found herself wondering how serious he was about going home.
“Want to stop by my apartment?” she suggested hopefully. “I have a new action flick.”
“No,” he said, though the word seemed to strangle him as he spoke it. “I would love to, but I know that you have a lot to get ready for. This is important to you Vicky, and I want you to know that I support you.”
Vicky smiled a little. He always said the sweetest things, but sometimes she wished he'd be willing to be a little less cautious and kind, and a little more wild and free. Maybe that was what was holding her back from him.
“All right then, good night,” she said quietly. He brushed her dark brown hair back lightly from her cheek and leaned in to kiss her again. This time the kiss lingered, and his arms wound fully around her waist as he drew her against him.
“Good thing the wedding is this weekend,” he sighed as he released her and waved as he strode over to his car.
Vicky smiled to herself as she watched the car back out of the driveway. Then his words sunk in. The
wedding was this weekend. The most famous wedding ever to be held at the inn, and it was mostly on her shoulders! Her eyes widened and she hurried to her car, mentally adding a hundred things to the to-do-list in her mind.
***
Vicky stayed up most of the night putting together different packages to suggest to the bride and groom. She had an idea of the simplistic wedding they wanted, but there were a few special details, such as the flowers and the catering that were a little more involved. When the sun rose she woke feeling drowsy, but very excited. She felt as if everything was coming together just fine. She decided to meet Sarah for a cup of coffee in the restaurant attached to the inn. As she was walking across the lobby to meet her, she encountered a woman with her head hidden in the bulky hood of a man's coat.
“May I help you?” Vicky asked with surprise when she saw the woman. It was very early for a guest to be walking in.
“No one can help me my dear,” the woman replied with such hopelessness in her voice that it still took Vicky a few moments to recognize who it was.
“Aunt Ida?” she asked hesitantly.
“Formerly known as,” Ida nodded sadly.
“What do you mean?” Vicky asked with a laugh. “What are you doing with that ridiculous jacket?”
“Let me explain,” Ida said with that same devastated tone. “Never in my life have I experienced such a terrible hairdo,” she sighed and then shook her head. “All I asked for were a few blonde highlights, just to give me a splash of youth, and what a mistake that was.”
“Why?” Vicky asked suspiciously and reached up in an attempt to pull the hood back from her head.
“No!” Ida gasped and clung to the hood, holding it down as if her life depended on it. “No, don't let anyone see,” she insisted desperately. “If it were not for the fact that she promised me that the color would fade, I would have had her shave it all off!”
“It can't be that bad,” Vicky laughed and reached again for the hood.
“No!” she gasped and Vicky saw real tears rise in her aunt's eyes. “It's, it's,” she sniffled a little and finally released the hood. “Purple,” she whispered as the hood fell away revealing the bright purple tresses beneath.
